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I'm happy to enjoy this bottle of Kriek shortly after trying the same brewer's Oud Kriek just a few days ago. Much of this review is the comparison of the two.

As stated with the Oud Krik, this beer opens with less flare tha expected- only light pressure forces the cork out of the bottle and with a slight pop. The pour delivers a deep redish, pinkish, purpleish concoction that releases a loosely knit head that billows to the top of the glass, allowing only a 3/4 pour into the chalice. Lacing very well, the beer struggles to hold it's foamstance above the lightness of the sourness and astringent brew.

Strong aromas of vineous cherries, red wines, lactic vinegar notes and with a strength that waters the mouth, squints the eyes, puckers the lips, and causes light sweating. Earthy tones of barnyard, aged and wine-soaked oak, and musty cork notes show the power and complexity of the wild yeasts.

The clean lactic character leaves just enough malt flavor to showcase the rare Shaerbeekse cherries well. Supportive flavors of lemons, lines, crabapples, grapes, and under-rippened berries provide much complexity in the backdrop. Very clean tastes that begin to leave the earthy, musty tones to the aromas, and not transfering deep into the flavor profile.

The mouthfeel is sharp, acidic, and pleasantly astringent without becomming grainy. The weight of the malts is the only slight buffer from the extreme tartness of the beer. The second pour from the 750 became much smoother and richer textured with the inclusion of the sediment.

This beer seems younger or greener than the Oud Kriek. The Shaerbeekse cherries may be a more tart version of those used in the Oud Kriek, or perhaps I have a new bottle that is less aged. Regardless, the comparisons are so slight that I might not recognize them if not having both within the same week. Fresher, more tart, and with an overall vibrant quality, I may give the slight edge to the Shaerbeekse version.

T: The flavor is tart with interesting and pleasant notes of sour cherries. A salty funky note of cheese and horse blanket. Faint residual sweetness. Notes of lemon, wood and grass. The finish is dry with a mild grassy bitterness and hints of minerals and lingering cherry aromas.

M: Medium body with pleasant carbonation and a not overly dry finish.

D: A very good fruit lambik with an interesting cherry character. Impressive.

I tried the Oude Kried last night and was really impressed, so I was hoping to be blown away by this one.

The aroma is lightly medicinal, full of oak, cherry, leather, and earthy barnyard.

More of a black cherry on the palate. Not as sour as I had hoped for, could be brighter. Has a hint of smoke and leather. A hint of brett, and similar to the Oude Kriek, it has an oaky, French Pinot-like dryness with a meaty (beef) finish. The funk is there in its glory, the cherry later softens up just a touch, so it's important to let this one breath for a while.

All things considered, while this is very good beer, though disappointing, I'd have to take the Oude Kriek over it.

A - Pours a clear deep garnet with one and a half fingers of pink foam.

S - Big aroma of tart cherries complemented with some must, but not very heavy must. A faint amount of oak. Pretty straightforward, but smells great.

T - Again, big tart cherry , but there is more musty funk in the taste than what I got from the aroma. Quite tart indeed, but not at all acetic. Earthy funk brings a mild bitterness. A bit of lemon in the finish. Extremely tasty.

M - Light and crisp with low carbonation. Tart throughout, but some bitterness creeps in on the finish.

O - Very tasty kriek. The flavors from the fruit are very nice. I enjoyed this more than the regular 3F Oude Kriek. Wish it were cheaper (and easier to find) in the US...

The beer pours a dark red color with a white head. The aroma is cherry, oak, vanilla, tartness and funk. The flavor is strong cherry with vanilla, oak and tartness. The beer is very dry and is pretty funky. Very drinkable and very well done. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Beautiful dark pink pour with great clarity and a big frothy lighter shade of pink head to it. A work of art. Massive sour aroma, possibly the most I've ever come across. Damn. Delivers on the cherry aroma as well, could be bigger, comes with some oak to round it out, just another amazing sense experience. Stays away from what is often undesireable funk aroma and just goes heavy on the sour.

Heavily sour, acidic, big time cherry delivery, yet a light body, not syrupy or anywhere near being overly sweet. If you're all about sour and cherries, this is your beer. Discernably better than the cherry stuff from Cantillon, who makes nothing but excellent stuff. Its not just cherry though, the acidic and light body makes me think some lemon and lime have a role up in here. These shaerbeekse cherries really seem way more tart than any other kind.

Great dry mouthfeel, sourness never fades, good at any temperature. Amazing stuff at a high price tag, but definitely worthy on special occasions.

EDIT: The last bottle I had could have used a tad more carbonation, still lovely, but had to change the 4.85 score it was. We'll see if it rises back to the top, still have plenty of bottles on hand.

Pours a deep and dark ruby color with a half-finger pink head. The head recedes quickly into a wispy layer on top leaving almost no lacing.

Smells of full and tart cherries more than anything with solid amounts of grassy funk. As the beer warms the aromas skew more tart the tart side of things, even more so than it already is, and influences from the barrels come into play with slight amounts of vanilla.

Tastes very good. Tart cherry flavors tempered by earthy and musty funk. The tartness increases near the end of the sip and ends with a tart and lactic finish. As the beer warms the little bit of sweetness that was present in the front end of the sip diminishes and mild hints of vanilla come into play.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smoother than average thickness with active carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall this is one of the crisper smelling sours I've had in a while and the way it opens up as it warms is very nice. Well worth a shot.